1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to transportation and, in particular, to an apparatus and method for transporting a vessel.
2. Description of Related Art
Several schemes have been developed for transporting a cargo or load, including transporting a water vessel such as a pontoon boat, canoe, kayak or similar recreational vessel. The vessel may be transported on land to and from a water shore, for example.
Four-wheeled trailers have been used to transport water vessels to a water shore, where the vessel is launched into the water from the trailer. Due to its large size, however, a trailer must remain on shore while the vessel is used in the water. This increases the risk of theft and vandalism of the trailer. Furthermore, the large size of a trailer renders storing the trailer when not in use inconvenient.
Some schemes for transporting a vessel on land include a wheel which remains attached to the vessel when the vessel is in use in the water. Such schemes often place the wheel at least partly underwater during such use, which impedes movement of the vessel in the water, such as by providing drag on vessel movement and undesirably acting as a rudder.
Some schemes in which a wheel remains attached to the vessel when the vessel is in use in the water, place the wheel at an off-center location of the vessel. Structural components attached to the wheel may also be off-center. Such off-center location, however, cause the wheel or a structural component to act as an obstruction when the vessel is being used. For example, the wheel or a structural component may obstruct the installation and operation of a motor attached to the vessel, as motors are typically attached off-center toward one end of the vessel. The off-center wheel or a structural component may impede the entry and exit of a user from the vessel, thereby acting as a tripping hazard for the user. The off-center wheel or a structural component may impede the use of fishing equipment such as a fishing rod, including by posing a hazard for fishing line becoming caught or entangled in the wheel or structural component. The off-center location of the wheel or structural component may also impede or obstruct the use of an anchor.
Some devices that attach to the vessel with one or more wheels placed off-center toward one end of the vessel, require a user to transport the vessel on land by lifting the opposite end of the vessel and carrying the vessel in a wheelbarrow fashion. Lifting and carrying the vessel from one end is an arduous task for the user, and is made more so when gear and equipment is transported with the vessel.
Some schemes employ one or more wheels having a wide tire width, which can impede transport of the vessel in circumstances where the ground is soft, sandy or muddy due to the tendency for mud and dirt to gather and build up in front of the wide wheel as the wheel moves forward. The inconvenience of a wide wheel is exacerbated in cases where the vessel is being pushed in a wheelbarrow fashion by the user and must be pushed through mud.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,671,056 discloses a boat transport device which includes a wheel rigidly attached to a base plate and strap means attached to the base plate for attaching the base plate to a seat board of a boat. When the transport device is attached to the seat board of the boat, the boat can be inverted and directed over land. However, inverting the boat is arduous and the necessity to do so impedes the carrying of gear and equipment in the boat while the boat is being directed over land.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,476 discloses a dolly for a boat which includes a single wheel and boat supporting pad means attached to frame means for alignment along the keel of a carried boat. Padded hook means are arranged to fit over a boat's gunwale. However, use of the dolly is limited to boats having keels and a gunwale only.